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Religion
Most of the people of Orn select a pantheon to revere. They will worship all of the deities within that pantheon according to their nature. Often, a specific member of that pantheon is chosen as a patron. This is most common among the modern followers of the Paragons. This does not preclude worship of or making offerings to other deities, though most will not offend their patron by praying to a deity opposed to their patron's sphere. The Incarnates The Incarnates are the elemental creator gods that were worshiped almost exclusively prior to the Shattering. They are distant, uncaring beings concerned wholly with their elemental spheres. These primal nature deities lost most or all of their divine power during the Shattering, but some scattered clusters of people still hold to longheld customs. The Incarnates are almost always venerated as a group, though some are more favored by individuals. They are: * Bryn - Incarnate of Wilderness and Life * Jharid - Incarnate of Flame and Light * Meryn - Incarnate of Sea * Odath - Incarnate of Death and Shadow * Orn - Incarnate of Earth and Stone * Vyl - Incarnate of Wind and Storm The Nightmare Legion The opposite side to the coin, the Nightmare Legion are dark primal spirits of entropy and destruction. These beings are kept at bay by the Veil of Lozon, which shields and hides the world of Orn from their ravenous hunger. It is these spirits that are responsible for the chaos and destruction of the Shattering. They are worshiped by mad cults of apocalyptic nihilists, bent on finding a way to bring them into the world once more to finish their work. How many of these beings there are is unknown as are their names, for little is known of them. But, some few have been identified. * Carrionlord - The Spirit of Decay * Earthshaker - The Spirit of Earthquakes * Faminemaster - The Spirit of Drought * Fleshwarper - The Spirit of Corruption and Mutation * Mistwalker (Dead) - The Spirit of Poisonous Vapors * Plaguebringer - The Spirit of Pestilence * Rustfiend - The Spirit of Corrosion * Waverider - The Spirit of Tempests * Winter King (Dead) - The Spirit of Arctic Cold The Paragons With the Shattering, the already weakened Incarnates were rent asunder, leaving Odath alone. Odath did his best as psychopomp to gather this energy. He then infused a number of mortal souls that dwelt within the Underworld. These Paragons were mortals that had gained vast fame and infamy by the time of the Shattering, the heroes and villains of legends and cautionary tales. It was these new Paragons, under the leadership of Odath, that defended Orn against the rampaging Nightmare Legion during the Shattering. While they once belonged to various mortal races of Orn, the intervening centuries since their ascension have blurred such distinctions. The Paragons are only interested in their specific spheres and no longer care for the petty politics of Orn. These ascended mortals, the Paragons, have become powerful, immortal, dreamspawn; not unlike the Incarnates. Each has nearly unlimited power to influence Dream within their spheres. Unlike the Incarnates, the Paragons are constantly engaged in agendas across Orn. They act through omens and portents, through visions and dreams. But the most visible effect of a Paragon's interest is the ascension of a chosen or the emergence of an avatar. These agents serve the will of their patron directly and have immense power to affect that will. Category:Religion